Dr. Ajay Poddar

While advancing in technology, it should establish its solutions. Unfortunately, a substantial portion of the population worldwide does not have access to some basic stuff (food, clean water, electricity, internet, mobile phones, and others) that many of us take for granted. I believe admission to these basic things to improve the quality of life is considered a “Human Right.”    

History has revealed that transformative technology improves living standards, improves quality of life, and stimulates coordination and agreement. However, new technologies can also undermine hope and destroy the ecosystem of our Planet Earth if not used appropriately. For example, increased levels of air and water pollution, energy consumption in terms of their production, and associated electronic waste cause issues of systematic long-term risk.  New technologies would be a good vehicle for sustainable development and raise thought-provoking questions.

I am sure that technical presentations and events like this motivate and help in mentoring the young generations to gain deeper insights into the life cycle and understand science and engineering to address environmental and humanitarian issues, focusing on affordable Engineering Technology for offsetting poverty and hunger and promoting clean water and sanitation, climate action, affordable and clean energy, human well-being, economic growth, and responsible consumption and production.

Biography:

Ajay K. Poddar, Amateur Radio Call Sign (AC2KG), is a distinguished electrical engineering and electronics research scholar. He holds the esteemed title of IEEE Fellow and is a member of IEEE Eta-Kappa-Nu. Dr. Poddar's educational background is exceptional. He graduated from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, India, setting the foundation for his academic journey. Subsequently, he earned his Doctorate (Dr.-Ing.) from the Technical University Berlin in Germany, followed by a Post Doctorate (Dr.-Ing. habil) from Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus, Germany. His academic achievements underscore his commitment to excellence in research and innovation. Currently, Dr. Poddar serves as the Chief Scientist at Synergy Microwave in NJ, USA, where he plays a pivotal role in the design and development of cutting-edge signal generation and signal processing electronics, RF-MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems), and Metamaterial-Antenna/Sensors/Electronics. His work extends across various applications, encompassing industrial, medical, and space technologies. Dr. Poddar’s contributions to academia are equally impressive. He holds positions as a visiting professor at the University of Oradea in Romania, the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu in India, and a guest lecturer at the Technical University Munich in Germany. These roles highlight his commitment to knowledge dissemination and his willingness to share his expertise with students and researchers worldwide. Before his current role, Dr. Poddar spent a decade (1991-2001) as a Senior Scientist in the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) under the Ministry of Defense in India. During this period, he also served as a visiting Professor at the University of Pune in India, emphasizing his dedication to research and academics. Recognition and accolades have been an integral part of Dr. Poddar's career. He has received numerous awards throughout his professional journey, with highlights including (1) the 2015 IEEE IFCS Cady Award, which acknowledged his outstanding scientific contributions in the development of frequency-generating and frequency-controlled electronics and timing devices, with applications spanning industrial, medical, and space technologies, (2)the  2018 IEEE MGA (Member and Geographic Activities) Innovation Award, recognizing his dedicated volunteer service to IEEE members, chapters, and humanitarian projects, (3) The 2015 IEEE Region 1 (R1) Award for "Outstanding Scientific Contributions, Leadership, and Service", (4) The 2009 IEEE Region 1 (R1) Award for "Outstanding Leadership and Contributions in the Research, Design, and Development of Microwave Systems". Dr. Poddar’s impact extends beyond awards and recognitions. He has contributed significantly to scientific literature, publishing over 350 scientific papers in journals, magazines, and conference proceedings. In addition to his publications, he has co-authored six technical books/chapters and holds over 40 patents for scientific and technological innovations. Mentoring and education are also integral parts of Dr. Poddar's career. Over the past three decades, he has supervised numerous Ph.D. students worldwide, nurturing the next generation of engineers and scientists. He has also served as an Editor for several technical journals and currently holds positions on various scientific committees, professional societies, and voluntary organizations. Dr. Poddar's leadership extends to his role as the Chair of the Global IEEE Antenna & Propagation Society Chapter Activity Committee. Under his leadership, over the last decade, more than 100 chapters have been established worldwide, fostering connectivity and collaboration within the IEEE community and benefiting local members and communities. Dr. Poddar’s commitment to humanitarian and global issues is evident through his active involvement with IEEE SIGHT (Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology), IEEE Smart Village initiatives, and efforts related to global and climatic changes. His dedication to IEEE MGA activities further demonstrates his commitment to advancing the field and serving the broader engineering community. In summary, Dr. Poddar’s illustrious career is characterized by exceptional research, education, and leadership achievements. His work has had a profound impact on electronics, signal processing, and microwave systems, and his dedication to mentorship and community involvement has made him a prominent figure in the IEEE and humanitarian community and beyond.

Dr. Stefano Maci

Biography:

Stefano Maci is a Professor the University of Siena (UNISI), with scientific responsibility of a group of 15 researchers (http://www.dii.unisi.it/~lea/).  He is the Director of the UNISI PhD School of Information Engineering and Science, which presently includes about 60 PhD students. His research interests include high-frequency and beam representation methods, computational electromagnetics, large phased arrays, planar antennas, reflector antennas and feeds, metamaterials and metasurfaces.

Since 2000, he was responsible of 5 projects funded by the European Union (EU); in particular, in 2004-2007 he was WP leader of the Antenna Center of Excellence (ACE, FP6-EU) and in 2007-2010 he was International Coordinator of a 24-institution consortium of a Marie Curie Action (FP6). He also carried out several projects supported by the European Space Agency (ESA-ESTEC), the European Defense Agency (EDA), the US-Army Research Laboratory (ARL), and by various industries and research institutions: EADS-MATRA, (Tolosa, Francia), IDS (Pisa, Italia), TICRA (Copenhagen), ALENIA MARCONI SYSTEM (Rome, Italy), SAAB-ERICSON SPACE (Gotheborg, Svezia), THALES (Paris, France), TNO (L'Aia, Olanda), OTO MELARA (La Spezia, Italia), OFFICINE GALILEO (Florence, Italy), SELEX Communication (Rome), Thales Alenia Space (Rome).

Since 2001 he was a member the Technical Advisory Board of 11 international conferences, member of the Review Board of 6 International Journals; in the same period, he organized 23 special sessions in international conferences, and he held 10 short courses in the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) Symposia about metamaterials, antennas and computational electromagnetics. He was an Associate Editor of IEEE Trans on EMC and of IEEE Trans. on AP and two times Guest Editor of special issues of the latter journal. In 2003 he was elected Fellow of IEEE.

In 2004 he founded the European School of Antennas (ESoA), a PhD school that presently comprises 30 courses on Antennas, Propagation, Electromagnetic Theory, and Computational Electromagnetics. ESoA counts about 150 among the best teachers of Europe (which include eleven IEEE Fellows) and it is frequented by an average of 220 students per year. The ESoA consortium presently comprises 33 European research centers and offers 12 one-week courses per year.

In 2005-2007, he was Italian National representative of the NATO SET-TG 084 "Emerging Technology for Sensor and Front-ends”, and he is presently involved as co-representative in the NATO SET-181 RTG on "Metamaterials for Defense and Security Applications".
Stefano Maci was co-founder of two spinoff-companies and since 2008 he is honorary President of LEAntenne e Progetti SPA (Valeggio sul Mincio, VE).

Stefano Maci is presently Director of ESoA, a member of the Board of Directors of the European Association on Antennas and Propagation (EuRAAP), a member of the Technical Advisory Board of the URSI Commission B, a member elected of the AdCom of IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, a member of the Governing Board of the European Science Foundation (ESF) Project “NewFocus”, a member of the Governing board of the FP7 coordination action “CARE” (Coordinating the Antenna Research in Europe), a member of the Award Committee of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S), a member of the Antennas and Propagation Executive Board of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, UK), and a member of the Focus Group on METAMATERIALS in the Finmeccanica project “Mind-Share”.  

His research activity is documented in 10 book chapters, 110 papers published in international journals, (among which 76 on IEEE journals), and about 300 papers in proceedings of international conferences. His h index is 24, with a record of more than 2000 citations (source Google Scholar).